Occupant-dependent setting system for vehicle, and vehicle

ABSTRACT

An occupant-dependent setting system for a vehicle includes a setting processor, a combination authentication processor, and a memory. The setting processor provides the vehicle with setting to make occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle. The combination authentication processor authenticates a combination of an occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle. The memory holds personalized setting data. On the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor acquires the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authentication processor from the memory and provides the vehicle with the setting.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2021-127472 filed on Aug. 3, 2021, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The technology relates to an occupant-dependent setting system for avehicle, and a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Some vehicles such as automobiles allow an occupant on board to adjust,for example, a seat position.

Moreover, in recent years, automobiles include advanced informationdevices. This makes it possible for an occupant to use a telematicsservice, a content service, and a sales service, while on board theautomobile.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the technology provides an occupant-dependent settingsystem for a vehicle. The occupant-dependent setting system includes asetting processor, a combination authentication processor, and a memory.The setting processor is configured to provide the vehicle with settingto make occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle. Thecombination authentication processor is configured to authenticate acombination of an occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle. Thememory is configured to hold personalized setting data. The personalizedsetting data is made available in the vehicle to the occupant to be onboard the vehicle on the condition that the combination of the occupantand the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authenticationprocessor. On the condition that the combination of the occupant and thevehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor,the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized settingdata regarding the occupant authenticated by the combinationauthentication processor from the memory and provide the vehicle withthe setting.

An aspect of the technology provides a vehicle. The vehicle includes atleast a setting processor, out of the setting processor, a combinationauthentication processor, and a memory. The setting processor isconfigured to provide the vehicle with setting to makeoccupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle. The combinationauthentication processor is configured to authenticate a combination ofan occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle. The memory isconfigured to hold personalized setting data. The personalized settingdata is made available in the vehicle to the occupant to be on board thevehicle on the condition that the combination of the occupant and thevehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor. Onthe condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle isauthenticated by the combination authentication processor, the settingprocessor is configured to acquire the personalized setting dataregarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authenticationprocessor from the memory and provide the vehicle with the setting.

An aspect of the technology provides a vehicle. The vehicle includescircuitry, out of the circuitry and a memory. The circuitry is at leastconfigured to provide the vehicle with setting to makeoccupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle, out of: beingconfigured to provide the vehicle with the setting to make theoccupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle; and beingconfigured to authenticate a combination of an occupant on board thevehicle and the vehicle. The memory is configured to hold personalizedsetting data. The personalized setting data is made available in thevehicle to the occupant to be on board the vehicle on the condition thatthe combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by thecircuitry. On the condition that the combination of the occupant and thevehicle is authenticated by the circuitry, the circuitry is configuredto acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupantauthenticated by the circuitry from the memory and provide the vehiclewith the setting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the technology and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate example embodimentsand, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles ofthe technology.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle setting system for anautomobile according to an embodiment of the technology.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the automobile in FIG.1 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer apparatus that serves as anoccupant data server apparatus in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating where to record personalizedsetting data in the vehicle setting system for the automobile in FIG. 1, and a plurality of processors in the vehicle setting system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a setting control in accordance with anoccupant on board the automobile, by the control system of theautomobile in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of the setting control in a case of two-stageauthentication of the occupant in the vehicle setting system in FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an automobile provided with an advanced information device, after anoccupant gets in the automobile, the occupant may adjust a seat positionaccording to their physical constitution, and make an operation toestablish connection to various network services such as a telematicsservice.

This hinders the occupant from starting travel immediately after theyget in the automobile.

In particular, in a case where the occupant wants to use a plurality ofthe network services while on board, the occupant has to make theoperation to establish connection one by one to the plurality of thenetwork services they want to use. This is quite inconvenient.

A possible countermeasure against such a situation may include allowingthe automobile to record setting data in a vehicle memory or a serverapparatus with which the automobile can communicate. For example,reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication(JP-A) Nos. 2004-243825 and 2017-043268.

In the case where the setting data is recorded as described above, inthe automobile, it is necessary to identify and authenticate an occupanton board the automobile to keep the setting data from being available toanyone who gets in the automobile. For example, reference is made toJP-A Nos. 2017-043268 and 2019-113947.

Combining these techniques makes it possible for the automobile toidentify an occupant on board by, for example, biometric authentication,acquire personalized setting data held in the automobile or the serverapparatus, and provide setting to make the acquired data available inthe automobile.

However, depending on the contents of the setting data, it would not besufficiently safe to make the personalized setting data held in theautomobile or the server apparatus acquirable and available solely onthe basis of the authentication of the occupant on board. For example,it is assumed that account data at a settlement service to be used in asales service, etc. is strongly requested to be kept unavailable toother people except for an authorized occupant. If the data becomesavailable by simply identifying and authenticating an occupant, there isnot low possibility that the settlement service is illegally acquired orused by another person due to, for example, spoofing. High safety isdesired to prevent the personalized setting data from being used byother people.

It is desirable to enhance safety of personalized setting data to beused in a vehicle, while ensuring convenience of authorized use.

In the following, some example embodiments of the technology aredescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Notethat the following description is directed to illustrative examples ofthe disclosure and not to be construed as limiting to the technology.Factors including, without limitation, numerical values, shapes,materials, components, positions of the components, and how thecomponents are coupled to each other are illustrative only and not to beconstrued as limiting to the technology. Further, elements in thefollowing example embodiments which are not recited in a most-genericindependent claim of the disclosure are optional and may be provided onan as-needed basis. The drawings are schematic and are not intended tobe drawn to scale. Throughout the present specification and thedrawings, elements having substantially the same function andconfiguration are denoted with the same reference numerals to avoid anyredundant description. In addition, elements that are not directlyrelated to any embodiment of the technology are unillustrated in thedrawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle setting system 1 for anautomobile 2 according to an embodiment of the technology.

The vehicle setting system 1 in FIG. 1 is configured to provide anautomobile 2 with occupant-dependent setting. An occupant such as adriver gets in the automobile 2. The vehicle setting system 1 mayinclude, without limitation, a control system 3 of the automobile 2, andan occupant data server apparatus 4. The occupant data server apparatus4 is configured to perform data communication with the control system 3.In one embodiment of the technology, the automobile 2 may serve as a“vehicle” an occupant gets in.

An occupant who gets in the automobile 2 may carry an occupant terminal5 and an occupant key 6. The occupant may approach the automobile 2 andget in the automobile 2. FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of the occupantswho shares the single automobile 2. A first occupant carries a firstoccupant terminal 5 and a first occupant key 6. A second occupantcarries a second occupant terminal 5 and a second occupant key 6. Ann-th occupant carries an n-th occupant terminal 5 and an n-th occupantkey 6, where n is a natural number of 1 or greater. In each of theoccupant terminals 5, an application program for management or use ofthe automobile 2 may be installed. The occupant terminal 5, as with theoccupant key 6, may be configured to carry out a control of unlockingthe automobile 2 when the occupant approaches the automobile 2.

The control system 3 of the automobile 2 as a moving body may establisha communication path with a base station 7 around the automobile 2 andperform data communication with the occupant data server apparatus 4through the base station 7 and a communication network 8. The basestation 7 and the communication network 8 may include those for 5Gprovided by telecommunication carriers, or those for, for example, ADAS(Advanced Driver Assistance System) provided by, for example, publicorganizations.

Moreover, the control system 3 of the automobile 2 may be coupled toeach of a plurality of service providing apparatuses 9 to 11 through thebase station 7 and the communication network 8. The plurality of theservice providing apparatuses 9 to 11 is used in the automobile 2 by theoccupant. The control system 3 of the automobile 2 may transmit andreceive service information to and from the plurality of the serviceproviding apparatuses 9 to 11. FIG. 1 illustrates, as the plurality ofthe service providing apparatuses 9 to 11 that provides such networkservices, a first service providing apparatus 9, a second serviceproviding apparatus 10, . . . , and an m-th service providing apparatus11, where m is a natural number of 1 or greater. The plurality of theoccupants who uses the automobile 2 may basically use network servicesprovided by the different service providing apparatuses from oneanother, in the automobile 2 they share. Non-limiting examples of thenetwork services may include telematics services, video and audiocontent provision services, sales services, settlement services,navigation services for route guidance and an automated driving control,information provision services such as tourist destinations, searchprovision services such as the World Wide Web, communication servicessuch as telephones and conferences, online travel control services for,for example, a travel control of the automobile 2, and other applicationservices. In a case where a user such as an occupant uses the networkservices, the user is often requested to obtain account data at eachnetwork service.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 inFIG. 1 .

The control system 3 of the automobile 2 in FIG. 2 may include, withoutlimitation, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 21, a vehicle memory22, a vehicle timer 23, a vehicle GNSS (Global Navigation SatelliteSystem) receiver 24, a mobile communication equipment 25, a short-rangecommunication equipment 26, a key proximity sensor 27, a door openingand closing sensor 28, an acceleration sensor 29, an in-vehicle camera30, an occupant monitoring device 31, a vehicle display device 32, avehicle operation device 33, a vehicle setting device 34, and a vehiclenetwork 35 to which these are coupled.

The vehicle network 35 may include, without limitation, a wiredcommunication network for the automobile 2 in conformity with, forexample, CAN (Controller Area Network) and LIN (Local InterconnectNetwork). The vehicle network 35 may include a communication networksuch as LAN, or a combination thereof. A portion of the vehicle network35 may include a wireless communication network.

The vehicle GNSS receiver 24 may receive radio waves from GNSSsatellites and generate a present position at which the automobile 2 islocated, and the present time.

The vehicle timer 23 may measures time and the time. The time of thevehicle timer 23 may be calibrated by the present time of the vehicleGNSS receiver 24.

The mobile communication equipment 25 may establish, by wirelesscommunication, a communication path with the base station 7 thatincludes the automobile 2 in its zone. This allows the mobilecommunication equipment 25 to perform data communication with theoccupant data server apparatus 4 and the plurality of the serviceproviding apparatuses 9 to 11 through the base station 7 and thecommunication network 8.

The mobile communication equipment 25 may directly communicate withmobile communication equipment of another automobile and establish thecommunication path with the base station 7 through the intermediary ofthe relevant automobile. This also allows the mobile communicationequipment 25 to perform data communication with the occupant data serverapparatus 4 and the plurality of the service providing apparatuses 9 to11 through the mobile communication equipment of the intermediaryautomobile, the base station 7, and the communication network 8.

The key proximity sensor 27 may detect the occupant key 6 carried by anoccupant in or near the automobile 2, by specific short-range wirelesscommunication. The occupant key 6 may have identification data differentfrom other occupant keys 6. The identification data regarding theoccupant key 6 may be used as occupant identification data. For example,upon detecting the occupant key 6, the key proximity sensor 27 maygenerate a signal to unlock doors of the automobile 2 and output thesignal to the vehicle network 35. This allows the doors of theautomobile 2 to be automatically unlocked, allowing the occupant to openand close the doors of the automobile 2 and get in the automobile 2, forexample, by just coming near the automobile 2, without unlocking thedoors on their own. Moreover, in a case where the key proximity sensor27 no longer detects the occupant key 6 of the occupant who has got off,the key proximity sensor 27 may generate a signal to lock the doors ofthe automobile 2 and output the signal to the vehicle network 35. Thisallows the doors of the automobile 2 to be automatically locked.

The short-range communication equipment 26 may establish, by short-rangewireless communication, a communication path with the occupant terminal5 carried by the occupant in or near the automobile 2. Non-limitingexamples of short-range wireless communication standards may includeIEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.15.1 andIEEE 802.11/b/g. Non-limiting examples of the occupant terminal 5 mayinclude a mobile phone terminal and a wearable terminal that areconfigured to be coupled to the base station 7 of the telecommunicationcarriers. The short-range communication equipment 26 may detect,authenticate, and be coupled to the occupant terminal 5 carried by theoccupant in or near the automobile 2. This allows the short-rangecommunication equipment 26 to perform data communication with theoccupant terminal 5.

The application program installed in the occupant terminal 5 for themanagement and the use of the automobile 2 may have differentidentification data from other application programs. In this case, whenthe occupant terminal 5 in which the application program is installedapproaches the automobile 2, the short-range communication equipment 26may generate a signal to unlock the doors of the automobile 2 and outputthe signal to the vehicle network 35, as with the key proximity sensor27. Moreover, in a case where the short-range communication equipment 26no longer detects the occupant terminal 5 of the occupant who has gotoff, the short-range communication equipment 26 may generate a signal tolock the doors of the automobile 2 and output the signal to the vehiclenetwork 35. This allows the doors of the automobile 2 to beautomatically locked.

The door opening and closing sensor 28 may detect opening and closing ofthe unillustrated doors of the automobile 2. In a case where theautomobile 2 includes a plurality of doors, e.g., a door on side onwhich a driver's seat is disposed and a door on side on which apassenger seat is disposed, the door opening and closing sensor 28 maybe provided for each door.

The acceleration sensor 29 may detect an acceleration rate of theautomobile 2 traveling. The acceleration sensor 29 may integrate theacceleration rate and detect a speed of the automobile 2 together.

The in-vehicle camera 30 is provided in the automobile 2 for imaging ofan inside of the automobile 2. The in-vehicle camera 30 may be of anarrow angle configured to perform imaging of only the driver of theautomobile 2, or alternatively, the in-vehicle camera 30 may be of awide angle configured to perform imaging of an entire cabin. Awide-angle captured image may include, along with the driver, anoccupant as a fellow passenger other than the driver in the automobile2. The captured image of the in-vehicle camera 30 may include biometricdata regarding, for example, appearance of the occupant.

The occupant monitoring device 31 may detect and identify the occupanton board the automobile 2, and monitor a state of the occupant, on thebasis of, for example, the captured image of the in-vehicle camera 30.The occupant may sometimes become drowsy, look aside, or have anabnormal heart rate while on board. The occupant monitoring device 31may monitor the biometric data corresponding to these conditions, todetermine the biometric data in real time on the basis of the capturedimage of the in-vehicle camera 30. In a case where the automobile 2includes a millimeter-wave sensor that sends out a millimeter-wavetoward inside the automobile, the occupant monitoring device 31 may usea detection result of the occupant by the millimeter-wave sensortogether with the captured image of the in-vehicle camera 30, to detectand identify the occupant on board the automobile 2, and monitor thestate of the occupant.

The vehicle display device 32 and the vehicle operation device 33 mayconstitute an HMI (Human Machine Interface) for the occupant in theautomobile 2.

The vehicle display device 32 may include, without limitation, a liquidcrystal display monitor. The vehicle display device 32 may be disposedin front of the driver's seat or in a center console, in the cabin ofthe automobile 2. The vehicle display device 32 may display an image forthe occupant's view. A display screen of the vehicle display device 32may include, for example, a setting screen to provide the automobile 2with setting, a navigation screen, a meter screen that indicates a stateof the automobile 2, a connection screen to the network service, ascreen to provide the network service, without limitation.

The vehicle operation device 33 may include, without limitation, atouchscreen disposed on the liquid crystal display monitor. The vehicleoperation device 33 may further include, without limitation, buttons, apointing device, and a keypad. In a case where the vehicle operationdevice 33 constitutes a non-contact HMI, the vehicle operation device 33may detect an operation on the basis of a motion of the occupant in thecaptured image of the in-vehicle camera 30. The occupant may make anoperation, on the vehicle operation device 33, to allow the vehicledisplay device 32 to display, for example, the setting screen. Thus, theoccupant may make an operation, on the setting screen, to set an initialscreen or screen transitions of the vehicle display device 32. Inaddition, the occupant may make an operation, on the vehicle operationdevice 33, to allow the vehicle display device 32 to display, forexample, the connection screen to the network service. Thus, theoccupant may make an operation, on the connection screen, to input theaccount data.

The vehicle setting device 34 may provide each part of the automobile 2with the occupant-dependent setting. For example, in a case where theoccupant gets in the automobile 2 and makes a setting operation on, forexample, the setting screen, the vehicle setting device 34 may acquiresetting data and provide the automobile 2 with the setting. The vehiclesetting device 34 may acquire data previously set by the occupant onboard, from, for example, the vehicle ECU 21, and provide the automobile2 with the setting. Non-limiting examples of the data to be set in theautomobile 2 by the occupant on board the automobile 2 may include aseat position, a steering wheel position, a mirror position, displaysetting, operation setting, navigation setting, and travel setting.

The vehicle memory 22 may hold programs and data. The data to be held inthe vehicle memory 22 may include, without limitation, various settingdata and navigation data set by the occupant with the use of the vehicleoperation device 33. In this case, the vehicle memory 22 may include,without limitation, an HDD (Hard Disk

Drive) and/or an SSD (Solid State Disk) as a nonvolatile memoryconfigured to hold data without power supply. The vehicle memory 22 maytemporarily hold communication data transmitted and received by, forexample, the mobile communication equipment 25 and the short-rangecommunication equipment 26.

The vehicle ECU 21 may include, without limitation, a microcomputer. Thevehicle ECU 21 may read the programs from the vehicle memory 22 andexecute the programs. Thus, the vehicle ECU 21 may serve as a processorconfigured to make an overall operation control including the travelcontrol of the automobile 2. The microcomputer may be integrated with,for example, the vehicle memory 22 and the vehicle timer 23.

The vehicle ECU 21 as the processor of the automobile 2 may make thetravel control of the automobile 2 by, for example, automated driving.

The vehicle ECU 21 may generate the setting data on the basis of thesetting operation made on the automobile 2 by the occupant with the useof the vehicle display device 32 and the vehicle operating device 33.The vehicle ECU 21 may record the setting data in the vehicle memory 22.In this case, the vehicle ECU 21 is configured to read the setting dataheld in the vehicle memory 22 and provide each part of the automobile 2with the setting with the use of the vehicle setting device 34. In acase where the control system 3 of the automobile 2 is devoid of thevehicle setting device 34 configured to provide setting, the vehicle ECU21 may provide each part of the automobile 2 with the setting on itsown. This saves the occupant from making the setting operation everytime they get in.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer apparatus 40 that serves as theoccupant data server apparatus 4 in FIG. 1 .

The computer apparatus 40 in FIG. 3 may include, without limitation, acommunication device 41, a display device 42, an operation device 43, aGNSS receiver 44, a CPU 45, a timer 46, and a memory 47.

The plurality of the service providing apparatuses 9 to 11 in FIG. 1 mayalso include the computer apparatus 40 similar to FIG. 3 .

The communication device 41 may be coupled to the communication network8. The communication device 41 may transmit and receive communicationdata of the computer apparatus 40.

The display device 42 may include, without limitation, a liquid crystaldisplay monitor. The display device 42 may provide an operator of thecomputer apparatus 40 with screen display.

The operation device 43 may include, without limitation, a keyboardand/or a pointing device. The operation device 43 may be operated by theoperator of the computer apparatus 40.

The GNSS receiver 44 may receive the radio waves from the GNSSsatellites and generate a position at which the computer apparatus 40 islocated, and the present time.

The timer 46 may measure time and the time. The time of the timer 46 maybe calibrated by the present time of the GNSS receiver 44.

The memory 47 may include, without limitation, non-volatile memory. Thememory 47 may hold programs and data. For example, the memory 47 as theoccupant data server apparatus 4 may hold programs and data to providethe automobile 2 with the setting.

The CPU 45 may include, without limitation, a microcomputer. The CPU 45may read the programs from the memory 47 and execute the programs. Thus,the CPU 45 may serve as a processor configured to make an overalloperation control of the computer apparatus 40.

As described, in the automobile 2 illustrated in FIG. 2 , in a casewhere the occupant on board adjusts, for example, the seat position, thesetting may be recorded in the vehicle memory 22. In a case where theoccupant gets in again, the setting may be acquired from the vehiclememory 22 to provide the automobile 2 with the setting. This makes itpossible to provide the automobile 2 with the occupant-dependentsetting. It is possible to make the occupant-dependent setting availablein the automobile 2.

In recent years, however, the automobile 2 may include, for example, theadvanced mobile communication equipment 25. This makes it possible forthe occupant to use, for example, the telematics service, the contentservice, and the sales service, while on board the automobile 2.

In such an automobile 2, after the occupant gets in the automobile 2,the occupant may adjust the seat position according to their physicalconstitution, and make an operation to establish connection to thevarious network services such as the telematics service.

This hinders the occupant from starting travel immediately after theyget in the automobile 2.

In particular, in a case where the occupant wants to use a plurality ofthe network services while on board, the occupant has to make theoperation to establish connection one by one to the plurality of thenetwork services they want to use.

A possible countermeasure against such a situation may include allowingthe automobile 2 to record the account data at the network servicesregarding each occupant in the vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2 inFIG. 2 . The account data may be read on the occasion of, for example,boarding, to allow the vehicle setting device 34 to establish theconnection to the network services.

However, from the viewpoint of, for example, limitation on capacity ofthe vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2 and data safety, it is notconsidered desirable to record all the account data at the networkservices regarding each occupant in the vehicle memory 22 of theautomobile 2.

Thus, in this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the occupant dataserver apparatus 4 is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , personalizedsetting data regarding the plurality of the occupants may be held in thememory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4. FIG. 3 illustratesfirst occupant setting data 56, second occupant setting data 57, andn-th occupant setting data 58, as the personalized setting dataregarding the plurality of the occupants. Some kinds of the personalizedsetting data, e.g., the account data at the settlement service, requireshigh safety management. Recording such data in the memory 47 of theoccupant data server apparatus 4 instead of the vehicle memory 22 of theautomobile 2 makes it possible to enhance data safety. The personalizedsetting data regarding each occupant to be on board the automobile 2 maybe basically held in the occupant data server apparatus 4.

In the following, description is given of balancing convenience andsafety of authorized use of the personalized setting data to be used inthe automobile 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating where to record the personalizedsetting data in the vehicle setting system 1 for the automobile 2 inFIG. 1 , and a plurality of processors in the vehicle setting system 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates where to record the personalized setting dataregarding the plurality of the occupants who uses the single automobile2, and various processors to provide the automobile 2 with the settingof such data in accordance with the occupant on board.

In FIG. 4 , in the vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2, first occupantsetting data 51, second occupant setting data 52, and n-th occupantsetting data 53 may be held as the personalized setting data regardingthe plurality of the occupants. In addition, for example, in the vehiclememory 22, vehicle identification data 54 may be held. The vehicleidentification data 54 is different for each automobile 2.

For example, the first occupant setting data 51 regarding the firstoccupant may include authentication data, together with personalizedvehicle setting data, i.e., vehicle setting data to be set in theautomobile 2 by the first occupant for themselves. The authenticationdata may include, without limitation, occupant identification data,occupant biometric data, and data regarding the occupant terminal 5carried by the first occupant. The occupant identification data may beallotted to the first occupant by, for example, the occupant monitoringdevice 31 of the automobile 2. The occupant biometric data may indicatephysical features of, for example, the head of the first occupant. Inthe following, the data regarding the occupant terminal 5 is referred toas occupant terminal data.

The personalized setting data regarding other occupants, e.g., thesecond occupant setting data 52 regarding the second occupant and then-th occupant setting data 53 regarding the n-th occupant, may alsoinclude, without limitation, the personalized vehicle setting data, theoccupant identification data, the occupant biometric data, and theoccupant terminal data.

As described, the personalized vehicle setting data regarding eachoccupant who uses the automobile 2 may be recorded in the vehicle memory22 of the automobile 2. This makes it possible for the automobile 2 tomake a setting control in accordance with the occupant on board, evenunder a situation in which communication with the outside isunavailable. The vehicle memory 22 may hold the personalized vehiclesetting data regarding the occupant to be on board the automobile 2,within the personalized setting data regarding the plurality of theoccupants. In one embodiment of the technology, the vehicle memory 22may serve as a “vehicle memory”.

In the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4, the firstoccupant setting data 56, the second occupant setting data 57, and then-th occupant setting data 58 may be held as the personalized settingdata regarding the plurality of the occupants.

For example, the first occupant setting data 56 regarding the firstoccupant may include, without limitation, the occupant identificationdata regarding the first occupant, the occupant biometric data regardingthe first occupant, and the vehicle identification data regarding theautomobile 2 the first occupant uses, together with the personalizedsetting data. The personalized setting data may include, withoutlimitation, settlement account data, first service account data, andsecond account data the first occupant uses. The first service accountdata corresponds to service authentication data 63 regarding the firstoccupant held in the memory 47 of the first service providing apparatus9 for authentication of the first occupant. The second service accountdata corresponds to service authentication data 62 regarding the firstoccupant held in the memory 47 of the second service providing apparatus10 for the authentication of the first occupant. The first occupantsetting data 56 may further include, without limitation, thepersonalized vehicle setting data regarding, for example, the seatposition of the automobile 2.

The personalized setting data regarding other occupants, e.g., thesecond occupant setting data 57 regarding the second occupant and then-th occupant setting data 58 regarding the n-th occupant, may alsoinclude, without limitation, the personalized setting data, the occupantidentification data, the occupant biometric data, and the vehicleidentification data. The personalized setting data regarding otheroccupants may further include, without limitation, the personalizedvehicle setting data regarding, for example, the seat position of theautomobile 2.

In the memory 47 of the m-th service providing apparatus 11, serviceauthentication data 61 regarding the n-th occupant may be held forauthentication of the n-th occupant. In this case, the personalizedsetting data within the n-th occupant setting data 58 may include,without limitation, m-th service account data. The m-th service accountdata corresponds to the service authentication data 61 regarding then-th occupant in the m-th service providing apparatus 11. The m-thservice providing apparatus 11 may provide the n-th occupant withservice information on the basis of the authentication, but refrain fromproviding the first occupant with the service information. The firstoccupant does not use service by the m-th service providing apparatus11.

The vehicle identification data to be held in the memory 47 of theoccupant data server apparatus 4 may coincide with the vehicleidentification data 54 to be held in the vehicle memory 22 of theautomobile 2.

The occupant identification data and the occupant biometric data to beheld in the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 for theauthentication of each occupant may correspond to the occupantidentification data and the occupant biometric data to be held for eachoccupant in the vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2. In a case wherethe authentication is made on the basis of the coincidence of theoccupant identification data and the occupant biometric data, thesepieces of data coincide. In this case, the occupant biometric dataserves as a password.

As described, the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 mayhold the personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant to beon board the automobile 2, within the personalized setting dataregarding the plurality of the occupants. In one embodiment of thetechnology, the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 mayserve as a “server memory” of a “server apparatus”.

It suffices that the personalized vehicle setting data to be held in,for example, the first occupant setting data 56, the second occupantsetting data 57, and the n-th occupant setting data 58 in the memory 47of the occupant data server apparatus 4 basically coincides with thepersonalized vehicle setting data regarding the corresponding occupantsin the vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2. However, the personalizedvehicle setting data to be held in the memory 47 of the occupant dataserver apparatus 4 may differ from that in the vehicle memory 22. Thepersonalized vehicle setting data that differs from that in the vehiclememory 22 may include vehicle setting data recommended on the basis of aphysical constitution and the age of each occupant. Such vehicle settingdata may be recommended on the basis of, for example, statistic dataregarding physical constitutions and the ages of occupants.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the vehicle setting system 1 may mainlyinclude, without limitation, a biometric authentication processor 71, adevice authentication processor 72, a media connection processor 73, acombination authentication processor 74, and a setting processor 75.These processors may be realized by the apparatuses executing programs.In this embodiment, among these processors, the biometric authenticationprocessor 71, the device authentication processor 72, the mediaconnection processor 73, and the setting processor 75 may be realized bythe vehicle ECU 21 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2. Theremainders, i.e., the combination authentication processor 74, may berealized by the CPU 45 of the occupant data server apparatus 4. Theprocessors in the vehicle setting system 1 may be assigned asappropriate to the vehicle ECU 21 of the control system 3 of theautomobile 2 and to the CPU 45 of the occupant data server apparatus 4in accordance with, for example, system specifications and designconcepts.

The biometric authentication processor 71 may biometric-authenticate theoccupant on board the automobile 2. The biometric authenticationprocessor 71 may acquire, for example, the captured image of theoccupant on board the automobile 2 with the use of, for example, thein-vehicle camera 30 of the automobile 2. The biometric authenticationprocessor 71 may extract physical features about, for example, the headof the occupant included in the acquired data, and compare the featureswith the occupant biometric data regarding the plurality of theoccupants registered in advance in the vehicle memory 22. The occupantbiometric data registered in the vehicle memory 22 may include, withoutlimitation, the captured image of the face of the occupant on theoccasion of the registration of the occupant in the automobile 2. Thecaptured image may include, without limitation, data such as facialfeatures and a vein pattern of the head. In a case with presence of theoccupant biometric data that coincides with the captured image of theoccupant on board the automobile 2 at a certain degree of coincidence orhigher, the biometric authentication processor 71 may authenticate theoccupant whose occupant biometric data is included in the occupant data,as the occupant on board the automobile 2. In a case where the occupantbiometric data regarding the plurality of the occupants held in thevehicle memory 22 includes the vein pattern of the head of each occupantor the vein pattern of a portion of the head of each occupant, it ispossible for the biometric authentication processor 71 to authenticateaccurately the occupant on board the automobile 2, without beingaffected by changes in the direction of the head of the occupant. Thebiometric authentication processor 71 may output a biometricauthentication result of the occupant on board the automobile 2 to themedia connection processor 73.

As described, in one embodiment of the technology, the biometricauthentication processor 71 may serve a first example of an “occupantauthentication processor” configured to authenticate an occupant onboard a vehicle.

The device authentication processor 72 may authenticate a device carriedby the occupant on board the automobile 2. The device authenticationprocessor 72 may acquire, for example, the identification data regardingthe occupant terminal 5 to which the short-range communication equipment26 is coupled by wireless communication, with the use of, for example,the short-range communication equipment 26 or the key proximity sensor27 of the automobile 2. The device authentication processor 72 maycompare the identification data with the occupant terminal dataregarding the plurality of the occupants held in the vehicle memory 22.In a case where the identification data regarding the occupant terminal5 coincides with the occupant terminal data, the device authenticationprocessor 72 may authenticate the occupant whose occupant terminal datais included in the occupant data, as the occupant on board theautomobile 2. At this occasion, the device authentication processor 72may determine whether or not the occupant terminal 5 is present in thevehicle on the basis of data such as a communication response speedbetween the short-range communication equipment 26 and the occupantterminal 5. The device authentication processor 72 may make theauthentication as the occupant on board the automobile 2, only withrespect to the occupant terminal 5 present in the vehicle. The deviceauthentication processor 72 may output a device authentication result ofthe occupant terminal 5 carried by the occupant on board the automobile2, to the media connection processor 73.

As described, in one embodiment of the technology, the deviceauthentication processor 72 may serve a second example of the “occupantauthentication processor” configured to authenticate the occupant onboard the vehicle.

The media connection processor 73 may couple the automobile 2 to variousserver apparatuses coupled to the communication network 8, with the useof the mobile communication equipment 25, to carry out communicationwith the server apparatuses. The media connection processor 73 maycouple the automobile 2 to, for example, the occupant data serverapparatus 4 with the use of, for example, the mobile communicationequipment 25, to carry out data communication with the occupant dataserver apparatus 4. The media connection processor 73 may couple theautomobile 2 to the occupant data server apparatus 4 in a case where,for example, the biometric authentication result indicating theauthentication is obtained from the biometric authentication processor71.

The media connection processor 73 may acquire, from, for example, thevehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2, the data to be involved inauthentication of connection to the CPU 45 of the occupant data serverapparatus 4 for the occupant on board. The media connection processor 73may transmit the acquired data to the combination authenticationprocessor 74 of the occupant data server apparatus 4.

The combination authentication processor 74 may authenticate acombination of the occupant on board the automobile 2 and the automobile2. For example, the combination authentication processor 74 may comparethe data transmitted from the media connection processor 73 of theautomobile 2 for the authentication of the connection, with the dataheld in the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 for theauthentication of the connection of the plurality of the occupants. Thedata transmitted from the automobile 2 for the authentication of theconnection may include, without limitation, the captured image of theoccupant on board the automobile 2 or the biometric data regarding theoccupant based on the captured image, and the vehicle identificationdata 54 regarding the automobile 2. In a case where all the transmitteddata coincides with the data held in the memory 47 of the occupant dataserver apparatus 4, the combination authentication processor 74 may givean approval of the connection. Otherwise, the combination authenticationprocessor 74 does not have to give the approval of the connection. Upongiving the approval of the connection, the combination authenticationprocessor 74 may notify the setting processor 75 of the approval of theconnection through the media connection processor 73 of the automobile2.

It is generally considered to be sufficient that the data to betransmitted by the media connection processor 73 to the occupant dataserver apparatus 4 for the authentication of the connection includes theoccupant identification data regarding the biometric-authenticated ordevice-authenticated occupant, and a password. However, in thisembodiment, the data to be involved in the authentication of theconnection may further include, without limitation, the vehicleidentification data 54 regarding the automobile 2 to which the approvalis given. This makes it possible for the combination authenticationprocessor 74 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 to not onlyauthenticate that the connection is being established for the registeredregular occupant, but also authenticate that the regular occupant isattempting the connection from the regular automobile 2. With thecombination authentication processor 74, it is possible for the occupantdata server apparatus 4 to authenticate the combination of the regularoccupant and the regular automobile 2. Moreover, with the vehicleidentification data 54, it is possible for the occupant data serverapparatus 4 to authenticate that the connection is established from thelegitimate, regular automobile 2. Even in a case where the regularoccupant attempts to get the authentication of the connection by anunregistered route from the automobile 2 having the vehicleidentification data which is not registered in their personalizedsetting data 56 to 58 held in the memory 47 of the occupant data serverapparatus 4, the occupant data server apparatus 4 may keep fromauthenticating the connection, as with the case with other occupants.The personalized setting data 56 to 58 registered in the memory 47 ofthe occupant data server apparatus 4 is kept from being inadvertentlytransmitted and leaked to the automobile 2 even in a case of regularprocessing. It is possible to permit the use of the personalized settingdata 56 to 58 only within a limited range of the automobile 2 registeredtogether with the occupant. In the personalized setting data 56 to 58regarding the respective occupants, the vehicle identification dataregarding a plurality of the automobiles 2 used by each occupant may beregistered.

Thus, the combination authentication processor 74 is configured toauthenticate the combination of the occupant authenticated by the“occupant authentication processor” and the vehicle for which theoccupant is authenticated.

The setting processor 75 may provide the automobile 2 with theoccupant-dependent setting in accordance with the occupant on board. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 2 , the setting in the automobile 2 mayinclude the travel setting for each occupant, e.g., the seat position,and setting for the network services available in the automobile 2 tothe occupant. Upon acquiring the approval of the connection by theauthentication of the combination from the combination authenticationprocessor 74, the setting processor 75 may receive and acquire thepersonalized setting data regarding the occupant related to the approvalof the connection, from the personalized setting data 56 to 58 held inthe memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4. The personalizedsetting data to be acquired from the occupant data server apparatus 4may include, without limitation, the account data at the networkservice. In addition, for example, the personalized setting data to beacquired from the occupant data server apparatus 4 may include, withoutlimitation, the vehicle setting data.

Upon acquiring the approval of the connection from the combinationauthentication processor 74, or upon the authentication of the occupantby the device authentication processor 72 or the biometricauthentication processor 71, the setting processor 75 may acquire thepersonalized setting data regarding the occupant related to the approvalfrom the personalized setting data 51 to 53 held in the vehicle memory22 of the automobile 2.

On the basis of the setting data acquired, the setting processor 75 mayprovide each part of the automobile 2 with the setting, with the use ofthe vehicle setting device 34. For example, the setting processor 75 mayprovide the setting of, for example, the seat position, the steeringwheel position, the mirror position, the display setting, the operationsetting, the navigation setting, and the travel setting. This makes itpossible for the occupant on board the automobile 2 to obtain optimalenvironment for a drive. For example, it is possible to operate thesteering wheel, while being seated on the seat, for example, at anoptimal position.

Moreover, in a case where the account data at the network service isacquired as the personalized setting data, the setting processor 75 mayallow the media connection processor 73 to establish the connection tothe service providing apparatus that provides the network service. Themedia connection processor 73 may transmit the account data from themobile communication equipment 25 to the service providing apparatus onthe basis of an instruction by the setting processor 75 to establish theconnection. The service providing apparatus may compare the receivedaccount data with the occupant authentication data. In a case where theycoincide, the service providing apparatus may approve the connection.The connection of the media connection processor 73 to the serviceproviding apparatus makes it possible for the control system 3 of theautomobile 2 to transmit and receive data to and from the serviceproviding apparatus that provides the network service, through themobile communication equipment 25.

With such setting, the setting processor 75 is configured to provide theautomobile 2 with the setting in accordance with the authenticatedoccupant, and provide the setting of the connection to the networkservices to be used in the automobile 2 by the authenticated occupant.The setting processor 75 may automatically provide the setting on thebasis of the authentication of the occupant on board the automobile 2.This saves the occupant from operating the vehicle operation device 33on their own. It is possible for the occupant to obtain optimalenvironment for a drive and start travel immediately.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a setting control in accordance with theoccupant on board the automobile 2, by the control system 3 of theautomobile 2 in FIG. 1 .

The vehicle ECU 21 of the control system 3 of the automobile 2 mayrepetitively carry out the setting control in FIG. 5 .

With the setting control in FIG. 5 , the vehicle ECU 21 may serve as theplurality of the processors assigned to the automobile 2 as illustratedin, for example, FIG. 4 .

In step ST1, the vehicle ECU 21 may determine whether or not a newoccupant gets in the automobile 2, or whether or not the automobile 2makes a start-up with the occupant on board. The vehicle ECU 21 maydetermine whether or not the new occupant gets in the automobile 2 onthe basis of, for example, detection of the opening or closing by thedoor opening and closing sensor 28, new detection of the occupantterminal 5 by the short-range communication equipment 26, and/or newdetection of the occupant key 6 by the key proximity sensor 27.

In step ST2, the vehicle ECU 21 may inquire of the occupant data serverapparatus 4 a registration state with the use of the mobilecommunication equipment 25, and acquire presence or absence of serverregistration data regarding an own vehicle from the occupant data serverapparatus 4. Note that the automobile 2 is also referred to as the ownvehicle.

In step ST3, the vehicle ECU 21 may determine whether or not datarelated to the own vehicle is registered in the server registration dataacquired from the occupant data server apparatus 4. In a case where thedata related to the own vehicle is registered in the occupant dataserver apparatus 4, the vehicle ECU 21 may cause the flow to proceed tostep ST4. In a case where the data related to the own vehicle is notregistered in the occupant data server apparatus 4, the vehicle ECU 21may cause the flow to proceed to step ST17.

In step ST4, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the occupant authenticationresult of the occupant on board the automobile 2.

The biometric authentication processor 71 may compare physical featuresof the occupant on board the automobile 2 obtained from the capturedimage with the occupant biometric data registered in the personalizedsetting data 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in thevehicle memory 22. The biometric authentication processor 71 maydetermine whether or not the occupant on board the automobile 2 isregistered in the vehicle memory 22. In a case where the occupant onboard the automobile 2 is registered in the vehicle memory 22, thebiometric authentication processor 71 may authenticate the occupant asregistered.

The device authentication processor 72 may compare the identificationdata regarding the occupant terminal 5 or the identification dataregarding the occupant key 6 of the occupant on board the automobile 2with the occupant terminal data registered in the personalized settingdata 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the vehiclememory 22. The device authentication processor 72 may determine whetheror not the occupant on board the automobile 2 is registered in thevehicle memory 22. In a case where the occupant on board the automobile2 is registered in the vehicle memory 22, the device authenticationprocessor 72 may authenticate the occupant as registered.

The vehicle ECU 21 may acquire, from the biometric authenticationprocessor 71 and the device authentication processor 72, the occupantauthentication result of the occupant on board the automobile 2.

In step ST5, the vehicle ECU 21 may determine whether or not theacquired occupant authentication result includes the biometricauthentication result. In a case where the biometric authenticationprocessor 71 authenticates the occupant related to the authentication asregistered, the vehicle ECU 21 may determine that the acquired occupantauthentication result includes the biometric authentication resultregardless of the authentication result by the device authenticationprocessor 72, and cause the flow to proceed to step ST6. In a case wherethe biometric authentication processor 71 does not authenticate theoccupant related to the authentication as registered, the vehicle ECU 21may determine that the acquired occupant authentication result does notinclude the biometric authentication result, and cause the flow toproceed to step ST15.

In step ST6, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire new biometric data regardingthe biometric-authenticated occupant from the occupant monitoring device31 or the in-vehicle camera 30. In one embodiment of the technology, theoccupant monitoring device 31 may serve as a “biometric data acquisitionprocessor” configured to acquire biometric data regarding the occupanton board. In one example, the biometric data to be acquired by thevehicle ECU 21 in step ST6 may be different from the biometric data onthe occasion of the biometric authentication result acquired in stepST4. The biometric data in step ST6 may include, for example, thecaptured image taken by the in-vehicle camera 30 at timing later thanthe biometric data in step ST4, or biometric data to be generated by theoccupant monitoring device 31 with respect to the captured image at thelater timing. The two-stage authentication based on the different piecesof the biometric data makes it possible to enhance precision of thebiometric authentication.

In step ST7, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the occupant identificationdata regarding the biometric-authenticated occupant from thepersonalized setting data 51 to 53 in the vehicle memory 22.

In step ST8, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the vehicle identificationdata 54 regarding the own vehicle from the vehicle memory 22.

In step ST9, the vehicle ECU 21 may transmit combination data of theoccupant and the automobile 2 acquired in steps ST7 to ST8 to theoccupant data server apparatus 4 through the base station 7 and thecommunication network 8 with the use of the mobile communicationequipment 25. The occupant data server apparatus 4 may allow thecombination authentication processor 74 to compare the receivedcombination data with the combination in the personalized setting data56 to 58 regarding the plurality of the occupants registered in thememory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4. In a case where thereceived combination data is registered in the memory 47 of the occupantdata server apparatus 4, the combination authentication processor 74 ofthe occupant data server apparatus 4 may authenticate the combinationand transmit the authentication result of the combination to theautomobile 2 through the communication device 41, the base station 7,and the communication network 8.

In step ST10, the vehicle ECU 21 may receive and acquire, from theoccupant data server apparatus 4, with the mobile communicationequipment 25, the authentication result by the combinationauthentication processor 74 with respect to the combination data of theoccupant and the automobile 2.

In step ST11, the vehicle ECU 21 may determine whether or not thecombination included in the combination data of the occupant and theautomobile 2 is authenticated by the combination authenticatingprocessor 74 in the occupant data server apparatus 4. In a case wherethe combination is authenticated in the occupant data server apparatus4, the vehicle ECU 21 may cause the flow to proceed to step ST12. In acase where the combination is unauthenticated in the occupant dataserver apparatus 4, the vehicle ECU 21 may cause the flow to proceed tostep ST15.

In step ST12, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the personalized settingdata regarding the authenticated occupant from the personalized settingdata 56 to 58 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the memory 47of the occupant data server apparatus 4 and the personalized settingdata 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the vehiclememory 22 of the own vehicle. The vehicle ECU 21 may request, with theuse of the mobile communication equipment 25, the occupant data serverapparatus 4 to transmit the setting data. The vehicle ECU 21 may receiveand acquire the personalized setting data regarding thecombination-authenticated occupant from the occupant data serverapparatus 4. The vehicle ECU 21 may read and acquire the personalizedsetting data regarding the authenticated occupant from the vehiclememory 22.

The vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the personalized setting data regardingthe combination-authenticated occupant mainly from, for example, thememory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4. In a case where thesetting data acquired from the memory 47 of the occupant data serverapparatus 4 does not include the vehicle setting data, the vehicle ECU21 may acquire the personalized setting data from the personalizedsetting data 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in thevehicle memory 22 of the own vehicle. In this case, the vehicle ECU 21may acquire the personalized setting data regarding thecombination-authenticated occupant from at least the memory 47 of theoccupant data server apparatus 4, out of the memory 47 of the occupantdata server apparatus 4 and the vehicle memory 22 of the automobile 2.

In step ST13, the vehicle ECU 21 may provide the own vehicle with thesetting, with the use of the vehicle setting device 34, on the basis ofthe personalized vehicle setting data included in the personalizedsetting data acquired. Thus, the setting of, for example, the seatposition for the occupant related to the authentication may be provided,corresponding to the personalized vehicle setting data.

In step ST14, the vehicle ECU 21 may couple the own vehicle to thenetwork service, with the mobile communication equipment 25, with theuse of the account data at the network service included in thepersonalized setting data acquired. Thus, the vehicle ECU 21 may becoupled to the service providing apparatus that provides the networkservice, through the mobile communication equipment 25, and become readyto receive the service information from the service providing apparatus.Thereafter, the vehicle ECU 21 may end the control.

In step ST15, because the combination is unauthenticated by thecombination authentication processor 74 of the occupant data serverapparatus 4, the vehicle ECU 21 may stop data acquisition from theoccupant data server apparatus 4, and acquire the personalized settingdata regarding the authenticated occupant from the personalized settingdata 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the vehiclememory 22 of the own vehicle. The authentication in this case may bemade solely by either the biometric authentication processor 71 or thedevice authentication processor 72. In a case where the authenticationis made by the biometric authentication processor 71, the deviceauthentication processor 72, or both, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire thepersonalized setting data regarding the occupant related to theauthentication.

In step ST16, the vehicle ECU 21 may provide the own vehicle with thesetting on the basis of the personalized vehicle setting data includedin the personalized setting data acquired from the vehicle memory 22.Thus, the setting of, for example, the seat position for the occupantrelated to the authentication may be provided, corresponding to thepersonalized vehicle setting data. Thereafter, the vehicle ECU 21 mayend the control.

In step ST17, the vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the occupant authenticationresult of the occupant on board the automobile 2.

In this case, because the data related to the own vehicle is notregistered in the occupant data server apparatus 4, unlike step ST4, thevehicle ECU 21 may acquire only the biometric authentication result bythe biometric authentication processor 71, out of the authenticationresult by the biometric authentication processor 71 and theauthentication result by the device authentication processor 72.

Thereafter, the vehicle ECU 21 may cause the flow to proceed to stepST15. The vehicle ECU 21 may acquire the personalized setting dataregarding the biometric-authenticated occupant from the personalizedsetting data 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in thevehicle memory 22 of the own vehicle, and provide the own vehicle withthe setting on the basis of the acquired vehicle setting data.Thereafter, the vehicle ECU 21 may end the control.

As described, in the setting control in FIG. 5 , in the case where theoccupant is biometric-authenticated by the biometric authenticationprocessor 71, the vehicle ECU 21 may transmit the combination data ofthe occupant and the automobile 2 to the occupant data server apparatus4. The combination authentication processor 74 of the occupant dataserver apparatus 4 may authenticate the combination of the occupant andthe automobile 2 by the combination of the occupant identification dataregarding the occupant biometric-authenticated by the biometricauthentication processor 71 and the vehicle identification dataregarding the automobile 2 for which the authentication is made. In thecase where the occupant of the automobile 2 is biometric-unauthenticatedby the biometric authentication processor 71, the combinationauthentication processor 74 may refrain from making the authenticationbecause the combination authentication processor 74 does not obtain thecombination data of the occupant and the automobile 2.

It is to be noted that the two-stage authentication of the occupant onboard the automobile 2 may be carried out without the forgoing processesof steps ST1 to ST3.

In one alternative, instead of the processes of steps ST1 to ST3, thevehicle ECU 21 may determine, for example, presence or absence, in thevehicle memory 22, of connection data to the occupant data serverapparatus 4. In a case with the presence of the connection data, thevehicle ECU 21 may cause the flow to proceed to step ST4. In a case withthe absence of the connection data, the vehicle ECU 21 may cause theflow to proceed to step ST17.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of the setting control in the case with thetwo-stage authentication of the occupant in the vehicle setting system 1for the automobile 2 in FIG. 1 .

The timing chart of the setting control in FIG. 6 is an example casewhere the occupant on board the automobile 2 is biometric-authenticated.

FIG. 6 illustrates the combination authentication processor 74 that isrealized on the CPU 45 of the occupant data server apparatus 4, togetherwith the biometric authentication processor 71, the deviceauthentication processor 72, the media connection processor 73, and thesetting processor 75 that are realized on the vehicle

ECU 21 of the automobile 2. In FIG. 6 , time flows from top to bottom.

In the following, description is given of an example of a state in whichthe first occupant is on board the automobile 2. The description assumesthat the vehicle ECU 21 of the automobile 2 carries out the settingprocessing in FIG. 5 mainly as the media connection processor 73.

In step ST4 in FIG. 5 , the vehicle ECU 21 as the media connectionprocessor 73 of the automobile 2 may acquire the occupant authenticationresult by the biometric authentication processor 71 and the occupantauthentication result by the device authentication processor 72 for thefirst occupant on board the automobile 2. In step ST5, the vehicle ECU21 as the media connection processor 73 of the automobile 2 maydetermine that the biometric authentication result is included. In thiscase, in steps ST6 to ST9, the vehicle ECU 21 as the media connectionprocessor 73 may acquire the occupant identification data, the newbiometric data, and the vehicle identification data 54 regarding thefirst occupant on board the automobile 2, from the first occupantsetting data 51 in the vehicle memory 22. The vehicle ECU 21 as themedia connection processor 73 may transmit the data acquired to theoccupant data server apparatus 4. The communication device 41 of theoccupant data server apparatus 4 may receive the combination data, andthereupon, in step ST21, the combination authentication processor 74 maycompare the received combination data with the personalized setting data56 to 58 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the memory 47 ofthe occupant data server apparatus 4, and authenticate the combination.The combination authentication processor 74 may authenticate thecombination on the basis of the biometric data acquired at differenttiming from the biometric data used in the authentication by thebiometric authentication processor 71. Thereafter, the combinationauthentication processor 74 may transmit the authentication result ofthe combination indicating that the first occupant is the registeredoccupant, to the setting processor 75 of the automobile 2. Theauthentication result may be transmitted from the communication device41 of the occupant data server apparatus 4 to the automobile 2 throughthe communication network 8 and the base station 7.

In the automobile 2, in step ST10, the vehicle ECU 21 as the settingprocessor 75 may receive the authentication result by the combinationauthentication processor 74 of the combination data of the occupant andthe automobile 2, from the occupant data server apparatus 4, with themobile communication equipment 25.

The vehicle ECU 21 of the automobile 2, as the media connectionprocessor 73, may instruct the setting processor 75 to provide setting.In steps ST12 to ST14, the vehicle ECU 21, as the setting processor 75,may acquire the personalized setting data regarding the first occupantfrom the personalized setting data 56 to 58 regarding the plurality ofthe occupants in the occupant data server apparatus 4 and thepersonalized setting data 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of theoccupants in the vehicle memory 22. The vehicle ECU 21 of the automobile2, as the setting processor 75, may provide the own vehicle with thesetting, and establish the connection to the network service.

At this occasion, for example, as for the personalized vehicle settingdata, even in a case where the setting processor 75 acquires varioussetting from the occupant data server apparatus 4, the setting processor75 may prioritize the setting that is held in the vehicle memory 22 andcorresponds to the setting acquired from the occupant data serverapparatus 4, and provide the own vehicle with the setting. Moreover, ina case where the setting processor 75 fails to acquire the setting fromthe vehicle memory 22, the setting processor 75 may acquire the vehiclesetting data from the occupant data server apparatus 4 and provide theown vehicle with the setting.

Thus, in the case where the combination of the first occupant and theautomobile 2 is authenticated by the combination authenticationprocessor 74, the setting processor 75 may acquire the personalizedsetting data regarding the first occupant from the personalized settingdata 56 to 58 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the memory 47of the occupant data server apparatus 4, and provide the own vehiclewith the setting. In one embodiment of the technology, the memory 47 mayserve as the “server memory”.

For example, in the case where the personalized setting data regardingthe first occupant held in the memory 47 of the occupant data serverapparatus 4 includes the personalized vehicle setting data to be set inthe automobile 2 in accordance with the occupant, and the combination isauthenticated, the setting processor 75 may provide the automobile 2with the setting with the use of the vehicle setting data held in thememory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4.

In addition, for example, in the case where the personalized settingdata regarding the first occupant held in the memory 47 of the occupantdata server apparatus 4 includes the account data at the network serviceavailable in the automobile 2 to the occupant, and the combination isauthenticated, the setting processor 75 may couple the automobile 2 tothe network service with the use of the account data at the networkservice from the memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4.

Moreover, in the case where the first occupant isbiometric-authenticated by the biometric authentication processor 71 ofthe automobile 2 and the combination of the first occupant and theautomobile 2 is authenticated by the combination authenticationprocessor 74, the setting processor 75 may acquire the vehicle settingdata regarding the first occupant from the personalized setting data 56to 58 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the memory 47 of theoccupant data server apparatus 4 and the personalized setting data 51 to53 regarding the plurality of the occupants in the vehicle memory 22 asthe “vehicle memory”, and provide the automobile 2 with the setting.

Moreover, in the case where the first occupant is authenticated by thebiometric authentication processor 71 and the combination of the firstoccupant and the automobile 2 is unauthenticated by the combinationauthentication processor 74, the setting processor 75 may acquire thevehicle setting data regarding the first occupant solely from thepersonalized setting data 51 to 53 regarding the plurality of theoccupants in the vehicle memory 22 as the “vehicle memory”, and providethe automobile 2 with the setting.

As described, in this embodiment, in the case where the occupant onboard the automobile 2 wants to provide the automobile 2 with thesetting of the personalized setting data regarding themselves held inthe memory 47 of the occupant data server apparatus 4, and use thepersonalized setting data, the occupant has to be authenticated by thecombination authentication processor 74. The combination authenticationprocessor 74 may authenticate not simply the occupant on board theautomobile 2, but the combination of the occupant on board theautomobile 2 and the automobile 2 with the occupant on board. Thus, forexample, in the case where the automobile 2 with the occupant on boardis different from that held in the memory 47, the combination isunauthenticated. This makes it possible to enhance safety of thepersonalized setting data held in the memory 47, as compared to the casewith the authentication of solely the occupant on board.

In contrast, in the case where the authenticated occupant gets in theauthenticated automobile 2 registered, it is possible to get theauthentication of the combination, provide the automobile 2 with thesetting of the personalized setting data regarding themselves held inthe memory 47, and use the personalized setting data. This leads toconvenience of the authenticated use, without limiting the use ofpersonalized setting data in the authenticated automobile 2 by theauthenticated occupant.

Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to enhance safety of thepersonalized setting data for each occupant who uses the automobile 2,while ensuring convenience of the authenticated use.

Although some example embodiments of the technology have been describedin the forgoing by way of example with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, the technology is by no means limited to the exampleembodiments described above. It should be appreciated that modificationsand alterations may be made by persons skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope as defined by the appended claims. The use ofthe terms first, second, etc. does not denote any order or importance,but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish oneelement from another. The technology is intended to include suchmodifications and alterations in so far as they fall within the scope ofthe appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the forgoing embodiments, the automobile 2 includes thebiometric authentication processor 71 together with the settingprocessor 75. The setting processor 75 is configured to provide thesetting to make the occupant-dependent setting available in theautomobile 2. The biometric authentication processor 71 is configured toauthenticate the occupant on board the automobile 2.

In an alternative example, the automobile 2 may include the combinationauthentication processor 74 together with the setting processor 75 andthe biometric authentication processor 71. The combinationauthentication processor 74 is configured to authenticate thecombination of the occupant authenticated by the biometricauthentication processor 71 and the automobile 2 with the occupant onboard.

The vehicle ECU 21 and the CPU 45 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 areimplementable by circuitry including at least one semiconductorintegrated circuit such as at least one processor (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU)), at least one application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), and/or at least one field programmable gate array(FPGA). At least one processor is configurable, by reading instructionsfrom at least one machine readable non-transitory tangible medium, toperform all or a part of functions of the vehicle ECU 21 and the CPU 45illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 . Such a medium may take many forms,including, but not limited to, any type of magnetic medium such as ahard disk, any type of optical medium such as a CD and a DVD, any typeof semiconductor memory (i.e., semiconductor circuit) such as a volatilememory and a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include a DRAMand a SRAM, and the nonvolatile memory may include a ROM and a NVRAM.The ASIC is an integrated circuit (IC) customized to perform, and theFPGA is an integrated circuit designed to be configured aftermanufacturing in order to perform, all or a part of the functions of thevehicle ECU 21 and the CPU 45 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

1. An occupant-dependent setting system for a vehicle, the occupant-dependent setting system comprising: a setting processor configured to provide the vehicle with setting to make occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle; a combination authentication processor configured to authenticate a combination of an occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle; and a memory configured to hold personalized setting data, the personalized setting data being made available in the vehicle to the occupant to be on board the vehicle on a condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, wherein on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authentication processor from the memory and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 2. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an occupant authentication processor configured to authenticate the occupant on board the vehicle, wherein the setting processor is configured to provide the vehicle with the setting that varies with an authentication state by the occupant authentication processor and an authentication state by the combination authentication processor.
 3. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a biometric data acquisition processor configured to acquire biometric data regarding the occupant on board the vehicle, wherein the combination authentication processor and the occupant authentication processor are configured to acquire separately the biometric data regarding the occupant from the biometric data acquisition processor and authenticate respectively the combination and the occupant on board the vehicle.
 4. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the combination authentication processor is configured to: authenticate the combination of the occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle with the occupant on board, on a condition that the occupant on board the vehicle is biometric-authenticated by the occupant authentication processor; and refrain from authenticating the combination on a condition that the occupant on board the vehicle is biometric-unauthenticated by the occupant authentication processor.
 5. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the combination authentication processor is configured to: authenticate the combination of the occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle with the occupant on board, on a condition that the occupant on board the vehicle is biometric-authenticated by the occupant authentication processor; and refrain from authenticating the combination on a condition that the occupant on board the vehicle is biometric-unauthenticated by the occupant authentication processor.
 6. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the memory comprises a server memory of a server apparatus, the server memory being configured to hold personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant to be on board the vehicle, the vehicle includes a vehicle memory configured to hold personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant to be on board the vehicle, and the setting processor is configured to: acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authentication processor, from at least the server memory out of the server memory of the server apparatus and the vehicle memory of the vehicle, and provide the vehicle with the setting, on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor; and acquire the personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the occupant authentication processor from the vehicle memory of the vehicle and provide the vehicle with the setting, on a condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is unauthenticated by the combination authentication processor and the occupant is authenticated by the occupant authentication processor.
 7. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the memory comprises a server memory of a server apparatus, the server memory being configured to hold personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant to be on board the vehicle, the vehicle includes a vehicle memory configured to hold personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant to be on board the vehicle, and the setting processor is configured to: acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authentication processor, from at least the server memory out of the server memory of the server apparatus and the vehicle memory of the vehicle, and provide the vehicle with the setting, on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor; and acquire the personalized vehicle setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the occupant authentication processor from the vehicle memory of the vehicle and provide the vehicle with the setting, on a condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is unauthenticated by the combination authentication processor and the occupant is authenticated by the occupant authentication processor.
 8. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes account data at a network service available in the vehicle to the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the account data at the network service from the server memory of the server apparatus and couple the vehicle to the network service.
 9. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes account data at a network service available in the vehicle to the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the account data at the network service from the server memory of the server apparatus and couple the vehicle to the network service.
 10. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes the personalized vehicle setting data to be set in the vehicle in accordance with the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized vehicle setting data from the server memory of the server apparatus and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 11. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes the personalized vehicle setting data to be set in the vehicle in accordance with the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized vehicle setting data from the server memory of the server apparatus and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 12. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes the personalized vehicle setting data to be set in the vehicle in accordance with the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized vehicle setting data from the server memory of the server apparatus and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 13. The occupant-dependent setting system for the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the personalized setting data to be held in the server memory includes the personalized vehicle setting data to be set in the vehicle in accordance with the occupant, and on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized vehicle setting data from the server memory of the server apparatus and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 14. A vehicle comprising at least a setting processor, out of: the setting processor configured to provide the vehicle with setting to make occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle; a combination authentication processor configured to authenticate a combination of an occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle; and a memory configured to hold personalized setting data, the personalized setting data being made available in the vehicle to the occupant to be on board the vehicle on a condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, wherein on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the combination authentication processor, the setting processor is configured to acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the combination authentication processor from the memory and provide the vehicle with the setting.
 15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the memory comprises a server memory of a server apparatus, a vehicle memory of the vehicle, or both, and the combination authentication processor is provided in the server apparatus.
 16. A vehicle comprising at least circuitry, out of the circuitry and a memory, the circuitry being at least configured to provide the vehicle with setting to make occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle, out of: being configured to provide the vehicle with the setting to make the occupant-dependent setting available in the vehicle; and being configured to authenticate a combination of an occupant on board the vehicle and the vehicle, and the memory being configured to hold personalized setting data, the personalized setting data being made available in the vehicle to the occupant to be on board the vehicle on a condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the circuitry, wherein on the condition that the combination of the occupant and the vehicle is authenticated by the circuitry, the circuitry is configured to acquire the personalized setting data regarding the occupant authenticated by the circuitry from the memory and provide the vehicle with the setting. 